Unit 3 MYP Project

Ghlidelle Zuniga (1st period)

Unit 3 MYP Project

Ghlidelle Zuniga (1st period)

**A new way of thinking about the natural world**

Changes of Scientific Revolution

Scientific Revolution is a new way of thinking about the natural world that changed traditional beliefs in Europe. Scholars generally relied on ancient authorities, church teachings, common sense, and reasoning to explain the physical world and into new ideas where scholars began to use observation, experimentation, and scientific reasoning to gather knowledge and draw conclusions about the physical world.

The people who are associated with the Scientific Revolution changes are

Nicolaus Copernicus

Is a Polish cleric and astronomer in the early 1500’s who believed in an old Greek idea that the sun stood at the center of the universe. In his further studies he formulated the Heliocentric Theory in which Copernicus reasoned that indeed, the earth and other planets revolved around the sun. However he did not publish his work immediately because his theory still did not completely explain why the planets orbited the way they did. He also fears that most scholars and church officials would reject his theory because it contradicted their religious views that God had deliberately placed the earth at the center of the universe. Until the last year of his life in the year of 1543 Copernicus published his book titled On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Bodies.

Johannes Kepler

Kepler is Tycho Brahe’s former assistant; Brahe recorded the movement of the planets and produced accurate data on his observations. When Brahe died Kepler continued his work by studying Brahe’s data. After studying Brahe’s data Kepler concluded that the planets revolve around the sun in elliptical orbits instead of circles, as was previously thought. Kepler’s laws showed that Copernicu’s basic ideas were true.

Galileo Galilei

An Italian scientist who built on the new theories about astronomy. As a young man he built his own telescope and used it to study the heavens in 1609. Then he published a small book titled Starry Messenger in 1610, describing about his observation and also published Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems in 1632 presenting the ideas of Copernicus and Ptolemy. He also discovered that Jupiter had 4 moons, the sun had dark spots he also noted that earth’s moon had rough uneven surface which stun Aristotle’s theory. With Galileo’s amazing discoveries the Catholic and Protestants leaders disliked him because his findings went against the church teachings, the church officials were afraid that people will question the church’s teachings. In 1633 Galileo stood before the court under the threat of torture he knelt before the cardinals and there he unwillingly agreed that the theory of Copernicus were false. Since then he never again a free man, he lived under house arrest and died in 1642. However his book and ideas spread all over Europe. In 1992 the Catholic Church officially acknowledged Galileo’s ideas.

Impact of Scientific Revolution at the time

The Scientific Revolution impacted the society at the time by providing science a greater significance, the Revolution established a new way of thinking about physical world. Astronomy, Physics, Biology and Chemistry made great advances which influenced developments in arts and architecture. The establishment of Scientific Method impacted the society at the time in a new way of thinking. This method became crucial to the efforts of intellectuals, to discover more about the world around them. With these new tools at their reach, European intellectuals were able to unlock the secrets of the nature, as well as the very universe itself. The Scientific Revolution can be said to have definitively improved the lives of all European intellectuals.

The questions of the role of the Church in a changing culture became important. The new focus on science led to discoveries that seemed to contradict the bible, which was held to that point to be the literal word of god. The Scientific Revolution was a time of trials for many religious Europeans, and forever changed the way western society viewed the idea of an intelligent creator. The church feared reason as an enemy of faith, but eventually began to embrace some of the achievements of the Scientific Revolution.

The Scientific Revolution led to the discovery of several technologies that became incredible helpful to the merchant class, including standardized currency, refillable gift cards, and receipt paper. These advancements made it far easier for European citizens to buy and sell products, and even to exchange gifts purchased at fine retail establishments. With more money changing hands between vendors and consumers, wealth began to be redistributed among the populace. In addition, the increases in tax revenues led to additional government expenditures, which in turn increased the quality of life for many European citizens.

The Impact of Scientific Revolution in the modern society

The Scientific Revolution impacted our technological advances of modern science in our life. The electronics industry, born in the early 20th century, has advanced to the point where an electronic computer has become one of the key tools of modern society. In transportation there has been a similar leap of astounding range, from the automobile and the early airplane to the modern supersonic jet and the giant rocket that has taken astronauts to the moon. Electronics has also been fundamental in developing new communications devices like radio, television, and cellphones. Perhaps the most overwhelming aspect of modern science is not its accomplishments but its magnitude in terms of impact on society as a whole. Never before in history has science played such a dominant role in so many areas.